King Luther Capital Management Corp Sells 31,344 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

King Luther Capital Management Corp decreased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,137,457 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 31,344 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up about 1.2% of King Luther Capital Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. King Luther Capital Management Corp owned about 0.19% of Union Pacific worth $257,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $248.44 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $245.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $151.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.